The decision of the jury in the Apple/Samsung patent dispute was pretty clear. The jury determined that Samsung violated multiple Apple patents and deserved approximately 1 billion in compensation. In addition, Apple is now attempting to block the sale of devices with attributes covered by these patents.
I want to be clear that I support sanctions against those who steal the creative products generated by others. I have no experience with patents, but I understand copyright as it applies to intellectual property I have created. What I do not understand is what qualifies for a patent. I own both Apple and Samsung products and I understand they appear to work in the same way. The shape is similar. There are buttons that launch apps. It is not clear to me what practical options would be available. I suppose we could go back to the days of the Apple II and the pre Windows days and use the command line. In general the UI now depends on object based methods.
I have a concern that is shared by many and was part of the argument advanced by Samsung. I am concerned that a lack of competition will influence the cost of devices and whether or not new advances make it to market when possible. Was there no smaller iPad or was there no reason to release one until the Nexus 7 was released and attracted considerable attention (one of the devices in my image is my Nexus).
I have been searching for a summary of the patents that were the target of this suit and warranted a billion dollar penalty. Here are some sources that offer information.
Business Insider (second article)
Wall Street Journal (the count by count insert indicates the patents in question)
My motivation to search for the specific patents involved was to satisfy my own motivation to understand just what can be patented and reach a personal conclusion regarding how significant such developments actually are. My reaction, with the exception of the “bounce back feature’ and “multitouch” is that features in question are trivial. Rounded square icons as a problem? Really!